Reflections
by Princess Coeurl
Summary: FFIV Kain reflects on his current situation. Drabbly one-shot, mild spoilers.


_FFIV belongs to Squeenix and not to me._

_This was originally going to be part of a longer piece, but the theme got away from that of the story as a whole. The scene was mostly written, though, so I thought I'd finish it in an attempt to write child!Kain and child!Cecil._

_Unfortunately this means the other story no longer has any Yang. Which is a tragedy._

The castle had felt colder ever since Kain had returned from Mist. He was sure it was all in his head, a changed in atmosphere instead of temperature. But even knowing this, he couldn't repress a shiver as he stood at attention, awaiting his master's command.

They'd been speaking of the crystals. Master Golbez was obsessed with them, constantly referring to them and spending as much time as possible in the presence of Baron's newly obtained one. Always the hard pieces of faceted rock; never diplomacy or honor or any of the topics King Odin used to be so fond of. And this time his master had asked Kain, who, after a moment's hesitation, had begun recounting his single encounter with the Fabul's Crystal of Wind.

But he'd barely begun speaking when his master silenced him with the wave of his hand. "Show me," Golbez commanded.

-

They were in the crystal chamber in Fabul, the king having brought his two wards on a diplomatic mission to the nation of faith so they could learn of history and other cultures, as well as some basics of hand-to-hand combat from the famed Fabulian monks.

They hadn't gotten farther than the crystal chamber that day though. Cecil had been fascinated by the mirrored chamber, gazing not at the crystal but at the room's many facets, brow furrowed and mouth slightly agape. The monk, a young man barely out of his teens who had been placed in charge of them looked on with a serene smile. Eight-year-old Kain scowled and him and turned back to his friend. They didn't need a babysitter, especially not some baldy with a mustache.

Apparently prompted by Cecil's interest, the monk spoke for the first time. "According to legend, the castle was built specifically to house the crystal. It is the same for each of the other crystal-gifted nations."

The white haired boy turned from the mirrors to glance shyly at the monk. "Are they all full of mirrors like this?"

"Yes," the monk replied, "though no records exist as to why."

"Who made them?" Cecil was looking back at the walls now, moving his head back and forth to peer down corridors of endless reflections.

Kain, long past bored with the room, barely listened to exchange. Instead he focused on Cecil. Did the crystal chamber have something to do with his friend's mysterious past? This was the first time he'd acted like this; usually around strangers younger boy would hide behind Kain and say barely a word.

He glanced from Cecil to Cecil's reflection. For a moment he saw not a small boy in the mirrored surface but a man, shining white dulled by the glass's muted tones. The figure stared through the glass with a look of utmost sadness.

Kain blinked and the image was once more the same white-haired boy who stood in the chamber with him. Cecil and the monk continued there conversation, oblivious of any apparitions. Maybe the crystal's light showed people's future selves? The man he'd seen could easily have been an older version of Cecil. He glanced at his own reflection, which stared back at him incredulously.

Suddenly he was very sure that it was time to get out of here. He was tired from the day's journey, and Cecil and the monk were being all too friendly, chatting as if they'd known each other all their lives. Cecil was _his_ friend; this stranger didn't get to talk to him unless he had Kain's approval, which he did not. Besides, it was Cecil that the phantom man had been looking at, and if he wasn't an older Cecil then he could only be Cecil's father, which meant that he wanted to take his friend away. Kain wasn't going to let that happen.

"It's boring here! Let's go somewhere else!" Kain said, louder than he needed to. Grabbing Cecil's arm and giving the monk an appropriately cold glare, Kain marched out of the room. But Kain didn't miss how Cecil's eyes lingered on the crystal chamber even as he hurried to keep up with his friend.

They were sharing a room for the duration of the trip, not at all out of the ordinary considering they shared a room in Baron's castle. As soon he'd bid the monk good night and closed the door Cecil collapsed onto one of the beds. Kain wasn't surprised; the boy had spent the first half of the day running around an airship and the second paying far too much attention to fairy tales. Had he not been so excited or so determined to be a perfect guest for the king's sake he'd have fallen asleep at the dinner table.

Kain threw his clothes in a loose pile on the other bed before grabbing his nightshirt and crawling under the blanket with Cecil. The younger boy shifted slightly to give him more room before snuggling up against him. Kain was more relieved than he'd admit; he was afraid Cecil would be mad at him for dragging him away. Not that he knew Kain had pulled him away from anything besides a room of mirrors.

If it had been Kain's father in the room, he would have resented Cecil for making him leave.

Looking down at the boy curled up against him, Kain couldn't help feeling a fresh wave of guilt. Perhaps he'd been a little selfish, but it was fine. Cecil didn't need a father. He had Kain to watch out for him.

-

Shivering as he pushed himself up off the castle floor, Kain wondered what he now had left.

_Reviews and concrit are greatly appreciated. Thank you for reading._


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